Tulsi Gabbard Says Donald Trump Is ‘Undermining Our National Security’
Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has long been critical of Donald Trump’s foreign policy. In the wake of Iran’s recent attack on military bases in Iraq housing U.S. soldiers following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, Gabbard took another hit at Trump. She suggested that his foreign policy decisions have been harmful to U.S. national security and brought Iran closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon than ever before, Newsweek reports.
“Trump’s war with Iran is undermining our national security and putting all Americans in greater danger,” she tweeted. “Iran is closer now to a nuclear weapon than ever before. And it’s opening the door to resurgence of [Islamic State]/Al-Qaeda.”
Trump notoriously pulled the U.S. from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. Also known as the Iran nuclear deal, the agreement decreased Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Prior to the agreement, Iran was allegedly two to three months away from acquiring the uranium needed for a nuclear weapon.
Following Iran’s recent announcement that it would not be abiding by JCPOA commitments, the country is reportedly four to six months away from obtaining said uranium. According to Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Iran could create a nuclear weapon within six months.
Politicians & pundits talk tough on TV pushing for Iran War. But most have no idea what it means to serve in harm's way, nor do they understand what military moms, dads, husbands, wives, & children go thru as their loved one is sent overseas #NoWarWithIran #IranAttacks #IranvsUSA pic.twitter.com/700FLTyaIq
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) January 8, 2020
As for claims of Trump undermining national security, the JCPOA was followed by a decrease in attacks by militant groups supported by Iran. After Trump pulled from the deal, the number of attacks increased from six in 2017 to 40 in 2018.
Gabbard’s comments were echoed by progressive commentator Kyle Kulinski, who was recently critical of Trump’s speech addressing the recent ballistic missile attacks of U.S. military bases. The talk show host noted Trump’s claim that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon while he is in office and suggested it was untrue in the face of his current decisions.
“Pulling out of the Iran deal and assassinating a general obviously makes it much more likely they will get a nuke, for deterrence of US aggression.”
Kulinski also noted that Soleimani was one of the Islamic State’s biggest enemies in the region and said that his death had increased the likelihood of the terrorist militant group’s reemergence.
Although Iran claims that the recent missile strikes marked the conclusion of its revenge against the U.S., journalist Yashar Ali says that believing this is the end is naive. He pointed to the Persian Gulf country’s proclivity for attacking vulnerable targets on an unpredictable timeline and implied that there would likely be more retribution in anywhere from months to years.
